[sustran] BENGALURU AND HYD ARE THE WORST FOR COMMUTERS

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/Bengaluru-and-Hyd-are-the-worst-for-commuters/articleshow/51591411.cms


BENGALURU AND HYD ARE THE WORST FOR COMMUTERS
By Apurva Venkat, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Mar 29, 2016, 04.00 AM ISThare
[image: Bengaluru and Hyd are the worst for commuters]
*CO2 levels higher in IT cities due to employees travelling to work and
back over long periods*



Bengaluru generates the second-highest amount of CO2 emissions during
travel between work and home, says an international study.

The recently-released study titled, "Urban CO2 emissions in Xi'an and
Bangalore by commuters: Implications for controlling urban transportation
carbon dioxide emissions in developing countries," aimed to analyse the
characteristics and changing trends of the emissions termed 'commute CO2
emissions', and to identify strategies for reducing these and mitigating
climate change.

In a research done by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science
(Bengaluru), the University of Melbourne, Australia and Chang'an
University, China, it was found that Bengaluru has 43. 83 per cent commute
emission which was second only to Hyderabad's 56. 86 per cent.

The researcher say that out of all the cities the research was conducted
in, it was observed that cities that had a higher IT population were more
inclined to have higher CO2 emissions.

The research report that was released on Monday said, "The sector-wise
carbon emissions analyses reveal relatively higher share for transportation
sector in IT giants of India - Bengaluru and Hyderabad."

TV Ramachandra, one of the researches from IISc, said, "There is a lack of
end-to-end, affordable public transport. The current BMTC buses are not
affordable. I say this because even if there are three people in an auto
that charges double fare, it would be cheaper than taking a bus. This is
the reason that people prefer private vehicles." Ramachandra said another
factor contributing to the CO2 emission was the more dispersed and
extensive urban sprawl, and the prevalence of gasoline-fuelled two-wheeler
motorbikes causing higher emissions. "This is followed by car availability,
higher household income, living outside Outer Ring Road, distances from the
bus stops, and other significant factors."


*Proposed solutions*

Several strategies were proposed to reduce the CO2 emissions like
introducing a better public transport system, encouraging carpooling and
having monorail connectivity throughout the city. Ramachandra said, "If
there is affordable public transport, most IT employees will use it.
Two-wheelers create health hazard risks as well as accidents. Every
employee wants to be safe, and relaxed public transport assures them that."
The research also states that in Bengaluru, it is necessary to improve the
public transit service and increase the bus-stop coverage.
*How the research was conducted*

The researchers collected study data from surveys in urban areas of more
than 10 cities in India, as well as similarly growing cities in China ,
such as Xi'an. Commuting mode, trip distance, commuting frequency,
household and workplace location data were collected. Socio-economic data
like annual income, household tenure, car availability, age, work-type and
education level of the household members were also collected. This spatial
data was analysed through open source GIS (Geographic Information System)
and developed models to investigate the factors that affected emissions.


*How this study affects you*
Dr Sandeep HS, consultant pulmonologist at a city-based hospital, said, "If
the carbon dioxide level in the body increases, a compound is created that
decreases the affinity of the body to absorb oxygen. It also leads to acid
imbalance in the body." He added that the only way to protect oneself from
CO2 was by reducing pollution levels. "The masks available in the market do
not offer good protection against CO2."
Bengalureans, meanwhile, can't wait for better intra-city network. Tinu
Cherian, a marketing professional, said, "I live in Whitefield, and I drive
to the Baiyappanahalli metro station, park my vehicle there, and then leave
for MG road in the metro. Had there been connectivity all along, I would
have happily used that."

Another factor that affects the average citizen is that the companies are
located on the outskirts. Kunwar Prithvi Singh Chauhan, CEO of Anamika Info
Technology, said, "Typically, all IT companies are located in one area, but
the employees are located all over the city. In my case, even though there
are buses between JP Nagar and Bellandur, they don't have the capacity to
accommodate commuters." Chauhan said he took autos and private vehicles to
work, but would have preferred a better-organised public transport system.

For choreographer Utkarsha Ambekar, the main problem is end-to-end
connectivity. "BMTC buses do not run on all routes and the metro rail is
opened only in phases. I come from Mumbai, where the public transport is
very well-established and is also cheaper. I personally feel the system
needs to improve a lot in Bengaluru."



*Breathe at own risk *

1. Hyderabad 2. Bangalore 3. Mumbai 4. Hyderabad 5. Kolkata 6. Chennai 7.
Ahemdabad 8. Nagpur 9. Pune 10. Vizag



*Cities where CO2 was measured *

1) Hyderabad 2) Bangalore 3) Mumbai 4) Hyderabad 5) Kolkata 6) Chennai 7)
Ahemdabad 8) Nagpur 9) Pune 10) Vishakapatnam